Chapter 3: The First Day of Senior Year

Lee awoke ahead of his alarm. He switched it off before it could blare and stepped out of bed. He quickly made the bed and reached for the folded gym clothes he had left out the night before. He weighed himself after removing his pajamas and then got dressed. He quietly walked outside of his room and knocked on Kiba's door.

"Coming." An exhausted voice said quietly behind the door. A light switched on in his room, evidenced by the light that spread under the door. Lee carefully made his way downstairs, trying to be quiet so that he didn't disturb Shino. Shino had fallen asleep on the couch the previous night and slept with his mouth partly open. Judging by his deep sleep and the TV still playing, he must've been up late. Kiba appeared from the stairwell, leagues noisier than Lee. He was dressed in joggers and a loose T-shirt. Akamaru excitedly rushed down the stairs after Kiba. Lee beckoned Kiba to follow as they made their way outside, slipping their shoes on and carefully closing the front door behind them.

Crickets chirped around the trio. Although it was still dark, the few streetlights and the full moon provided just enough light for the runners. Lee stretched his legs, arms, and back skillfully as he mentally prepared himself for this run. Kiba followed suit, although he was still trying to wake up. Akamaru's tail wagged as he waited for Lee and Kiba patiently. Lee started the timer on his watch and the two bipeds started jogging. Akamaru ran by Kiba's side, increasing his pace once the pair started to run.

Sakura awoke from the sound of her alarm. She was exhausted from the night before, which she spent staying up late and talking to Sasuke. Sadly, for her, she would not be sharing any classes with Sasuke this year. Sasuke pledged that he would see her as much as he could throughout the day. With that reassurance, she crawled out of bed and started her morning routine. After a short while, she noticed the faint rays of the morning sun peeking through her window blinds. She quickly got dressed, wearing the outfit she carefully picked out the night before. She walked into the kitchen to make herself a smoothie, hauling her backpack with her.

"Good morning." It was Sakura's father.

"Morning, Dad." Sakura said sleepily.

"Are you nervous about today?" he asked, still trying to tie his necktie exactly right in the entryway mirror.

"Not really. I'm excited to see my friends again honestly." Sakura said as she prepared her breakfast.

"That's good. I can give you a ride today if you'd like. I'm already running late as it is." He said to her, finally giving up on his tie and putting on a clip-tie instead.

"That would be great." Sakura said. Sakura wasn't a huge fan of the school bus. The heat of the non-airconditioned vessel and the chaos onboard always pushed her to ask her parents for rides. Sakura and her father made their way to his car, and he dropped her off at the school, which was mercifully close to her home.

Sakura looked around and saw many new students and mostly unfamiliar faces. She recognized a few teachers making their way to their classrooms. She walked to the center of the school by the flagpole, which was the traditional meeting place for her and Ino. She saw Ino, who was talking to a guy Sakura was unfamiliar with. The mysterious guy took his leave and walked away, carrying a sling bag for his materials. Ino looked around and noticed Sakura.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked as she approached Ino.

"I don't know, but he's really cute." Ino said. "He complimented me and just took off." Sakura looked and could not find the guy but noticed Neji and Tenten.

"Whoa. I haven't seen them in a while." Sakura said. Ino looked in Sakura's direction. She noticed the two but was uninterested in them.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, I made a smoothie before I got here." Sakura said.

"I'm going to need an energy drink. Come with me." Ino said. The pair walked off towards some vending machines. Neji and Tenten noticed Sakura and Ino.

"That was Sakura." Tenten remarked. "I wonder when Lee will get here. He's usually here early." She said, looking down at the time on her phone.

"He'll be here. I can text him if you're concerned." Neji said. Then, thanks to Neji's excellent farsighted vision, he noticed the all too familiar-looking sight. "There he is." Tenten squinted her eyes as she tried to distinguish Lee from the crowd. As Lee got closer, he recognized Tenten and Neji and increased his pace, although it made his limp more apparent. He rushed toward them.

"Hey guys!" He said, reaching out to hug Tenten.

"Lee! It's good to see you." Tenten smiled, hugging him. Lee separated from Tenten and turned to Neji with his arms out wide. Neji seemed annoyed at the gesture but relented out of pity. They embraced and Neji let go quickly.

"What happened, Lee?" Neji asked, referring to his leg.

"Oh, I am fine! I went on a run this morning and sprained something. Do not worry about me, please." Lee said, becoming self-conscious about his posture and gait.

"I'm glad you're ok." Tenten said, relief clear in her voice. "But we should get to class. It's going to start soon and if there isn't a seating arrangement, I want to secure a seat by the front."

"Let us get moving then." Lee said, attempting to walk without a limp. Though Neji became less close to Lee over time, he was still concerned about his walk, fearing that Lee wasn't being all that truthful about his condition. Neji witnessed Lee's injury years ago and the images never quite left his head. The trio traveled up the stairs and across the campus, finding their way to the classroom and sitting near each other toward the front of the classroom. They relaxed in their chairs and talked as the class slowly began filling up. As the class got closer to starting, Tenten noticed Lee seemed unfocused and lost in his thoughts.

"Lee?" Tenten said. Lee flinched and turned to her. "You spaced out."

"Sorry." Lee said. "I got a lot on my mind." he said tiredly. Neji and Tenten looked at each other and then back at Lee. The energy Lee had today was unusual for Neji and Tenten, who had always known him to be the optimistic and energetic one of the trio. Sometimes, it seemed as if Neji and Tenten were Lee's parents, scolding him for whatever they found inappropriate or holding him back from doing something regretful.

"Like what?" Neji asked.

"Do not worry about it. It is not a big deal." Lee responded as he gave Neji a fake smile, not being able to maintain eye contact with him and looking down. Neji and Tenten both guessed that Lee was still lovesick for Sakura and that the realization that this may be their final year together was swallowing Lee up. As much as Tenten wanted to reassure Lee that he still had more classes, she knew she would regret feeding him false hope. Neji gave Lee a pained smile, wanting to help him, but unsure of how he could. It was best to let it go since Lee was unwilling to share.

The class started briefly. A pale man with jet-black hair entered the classroom. His voice was somewhere between sickly sweet and creepy, his snake-like eyes adding to his eerie appearance. Neji frowned, off put that this odd fellow was a biology teacher and not an art teacher instead.

Later on, Lee had only two classes remaining for the day. He had seen more of his friends in his other classes, but still no sign of Sakura. The sinking feeling in his chest only grew throughout the day. He entered the classroom for his next class and his new teacher greeted him.

"Welcome. I'm Mrs. Sarutobi. And you are?" She said, not getting up from the chair she sat in by her desk.

"I am Lee. Rock Lee." Lee responded.

"I'm pleased to be your teacher." She smiled at him. "Please find your assigned seat." She gestured at the seats. The desks were wide enough to seat two students, with two chairs seated at each table. The classroom was empty but should have had more students entering at any moment. Lee searched the desks for his name until he came to a desk by the window. He read the card closest to him which read Sakura Haruno. He felt his heart skip a beat and a smile grow on his face. He felt his knees become weak under his weight. Once he regained his composure, he looked at the name on the card next to Sakura's seat and read it. Rock Lee.

"Wahoooo!" Lee shouted, startling Mrs. Sarutobi. She looked up from the magazine she was reading.

"Is everything alright, Lee?" She asked.

"Yes!" Lee said, grinning ear to ear. "Everything is perfect!" He said as he let his body weight drop into his seat. Before she could respond, two more students entered the room, and she introduced herself to them and instructed them to find their seats.

Suddenly, a realization struck Lee. What if Sakura didn't like him at all? It didn't seem at all that way when they met at the mall, but Lee was becoming insecure about himself, especially since Sasuke was still a factor. He knew that if he were to play his cards right, he shouldn't come across so strong. It was daring of him to be so forward at the mall, but Sakura already was in such a good mood, and his risky behavior didn't seem to strike any nerves.

"No. Lee, you must try a different tactic." He thought to himself. "She said you are too unique for her taste, but that was years ago! She could have changed… but I still need to do something else. I cannot ask her out today or even this week. I will have to go about this slowly. I am willing to fight this battle in any honorable way as long as she loves me in the end." Lee thought to himself. But how could one be honorable about such a situation? She was with someone else. Just the fact that Sasuke was with her still left him feeling hopeless. Sabotaging their relationship wasn't an option, and Lee wouldn't even entertain the idea of taking Sakura away from him forcibly. It felt awful to hope that the relationship they had would implode, but he hoped deep down that it wouldn't work for them. Just then, Lee noticed Sakura had entered the class.

Sakura was somehow more beautiful this time than the last time he had seen her. She wore a light pink and beige plaid skirt with a cream-colored V-neck shirt layered with a light pink cardigan. Lee didn't have a plan but decided to follow his gut instinct to take it slow and try his best to act cool. He fixed his posture and straightened his back, turning to his phone to focus on it while she looked for her seat. Lee felt her presence near him, and the aroma of her body mist filled his nostrils. She smelled heavenly, like freshly baked cookies with cinnamon.

"Oh, hey Lee." Sakura said. Lee looked up, not being able to hold back his big smile.

"Sakura! It is great to see you!" Lee responded. Reflexively, he pulled her chair out for her to sit down. Only after he acted did he realize that he may have already made a mistake. Lee was raised to be a gentleman, but he understood that sometimes some kind gestures may be taken the wrong way. He couldn't help but feel like a scoundrel, pining away for a taken woman and wishing for the demise of her relationship.

"Thanks." she said, sitting down and pulling her chair forward to the desk. Silence fell among them. It took everything in Lee to relax and be patient, holding his tongue from saying something he would regret. Sakura scanned the room and after realizing she didn't recognize anyone else in the class, she turned to Lee, who was pretending he wasn't just gazing at her. "So, what made you want to take child development." She asked him.

"Oh. Uh… It was very stupid of me. I somehow confused the dates for registration and was left with no choice but to take this as an elective. I take an art class after this as my second elective course." Lee said, embarrassed at himself. Sakura could somehow like him even less. What if he changed too, but for the worse? He was normally so on top of deadlines that he would usually be first in most things he applied himself to.

"Really? No way." Sakura started. "The same thing happened to me." She admitted, also embarrassed. Lee smiled, feeling reassured. They both laughed together. "I wouldn't pick this class if I had more options, but who knows, maybe I'll learn something useful here."

While Lee had been a teenager for years already, he still had no better control over some of his more private thoughts concerning Sakura. He had to switch his thinking to something boring to calm his thoughts.

"I feel the same way. Maybe since we are assigned to sit together, we will be doing some work together in this course." Lee said, trying to keep the conversation focused on the class.

"Right. That makes sense." Sakura said.

The class began shortly, and the hour seemed to go by much faster than the previous ones. Lee felt his heart was on fire and he was reenergized by his usual youth-centric thinking and attitude. He couldn't wait to tell his friends as well as Guy once he got to work after school that he was sharing a class with his crush. He felt slightly disappointed at the end of class, wishing he could spend even just a moment longer with her. He wished he could offer to walk her to her next class, but that went against his new rules.

"It was nice seeing you, Lee." Sakura said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Likewise! See you tomorrow, Sakura, and have a good rest of your day." Lee chimed. They parted ways and Lee made his way to his next and final class of the day.

Lee took comfort in knowing that while he was still at odds with a chance with Sakura, he had a plan. He was quickly warming up to the idea of trying a different tactic, which seemed to be working so far. It was a matter of time before he would have her phone number to contact her about whatever projects they had to share.

He sat in the empty classroom that was filled with the smell of various paints, clay, and art supplies. He sat, daydreaming in his seat, unaware of the familiar face that had entered the room after him. It wasn't until the class started that Lee came to his senses and began examining his surroundings. His teacher was a nice young woman. Going against the norms, the teacher requested to not be addressed by any salutation, but only by the name, Haku.

"I won't bore you with any more introductions. Now, class, I want you each to find a partner. This partner will provide you with feedback on your work throughout the year, aside from me of course." Haku said. Lee looked around, not recognizing any familiar faces.

"Lee."

Lee nearly jumped out of his skin and turned quickly to the source of the voice. He felt his heart drop when he recognized who was in the classroom with him.

"Gaara." Lee swallowed. "Sorry, you startled me."

"You looked lost in your thoughts." Gaara said. He was still as sharp as ever. Lee couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around him. Not many words were exchanged between the two since Lee's injuries. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes. I am fine." Lee said. Silence fell among them. Lee was searching to say something to break up the silence until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face a pale man with black hair and onyx eyes. This guy's face was like a mannequin in the classroom. Lee was unsure what emotion this stranger was feeling, and his eyes, the window of the soul, had failed to give Lee any sort of clarity.

"Excuse me. Do you have a partner yet?" The dispassionate stranger said.

"No." Lee replied.

"Would you like to team up?" He pressed.

"Of course." Lee said, thankful he was not stuck working with Gaara. "My name is Rock Lee. What is yours?"

"Sai." The cool guy said, managing a slight smile. Lee noticed Gaara had paired up with another student. It was a blonde student with long hair, which was partly tied up neatly aside from his long side bangs covering half of his face. Like Gaara, his eyes were lined and quite bold, bringing attention to his ocean-blue eyes.

"Let us do our best!" Lee smiled at Sai. Sai's smile grew, enjoying Lee's enthusiasm.

"Do you know how to draw, Lee?" Sai asked. Lee frowned.

"I have never really tried before. How about you?" Lee asked. Sai opened a sketchbook he was carrying in his hand. He flipped through it quickly and Lee's jaw dropped to the floor. Many of the sketches were not colored but looked like they belonged to a serious artist. Lee knew he had a lot of work to do starting now if he was going to be able to create anything that Sai would supply positive feedback for.